"It has not been renewed since then. Besides, there has been a ban on the import of large wild cats since October 2008."

But Mr Ahmed, owner of Osaka Traders, which imports and exports animals and birds, told the BBC: "If I did not have the required documents, how could I fly these animals from South Africa to Germany and then to Pakistan?"

The dealer, who has previously imported elephants for Karachi Zoo, said he had not yet found a buyer for the big cats.

The BBC's Riaz Sohail in Karachi says there are several privately owned mini-zoos in Karachi, which might be interested in buying the animals.

Karachi Zoo already has an Asiatic lion, a subspecies thought to survive only in western India.